SEVERAL of the region's MPs have been branded 'warmongers' and 'baby killers' with the 'blood of innocents' on their hands after voting in favour of Britain carrying out airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) in Syria.

Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson - one of seven North-East Labour MPs to support the action - received dozens of abusive messages via Twitter and e-mail, including a photo of a dead baby.

It comes as Neil Coyle, MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark in London, reported a Twitter user to police over an alleged death threat aimed at him for supporting the Syrian bombing campaign.

Mr Wilson said: "I don't mind people taking the alternative view to me on this as that is legitimate and I don't know any MP who hasn't thought long and hard about it.

"What is wrong is when people feel intimidated. I think about this for people who want to come into public life who could be dissuaded by abuse on social media.

"I don't feel intimidated although I feel my position has been abused, but it won't deter me from making the right decisions.

"They think we will carpet bomb (in Syria) but the weapons used are really specific. They have been used over the last 14 months and there have been no reports of civilian tragedies.

He added that IS was a "death cult" which took lives indiscriminately and stood against democracy.

The other North-East Labour MPs who joined the region's Conservative MPs to support airstrikes in Syria were: Tom Blenkinsop (Middlesbrough South & Cleveland East); Alan Campbell (Tynemouth); Jenny Chapman (Darlington); Kevan Jones (Durham North); Bridget Phillipson (Houghton & Sunderland South) and Anna Turley (Redcar).

The Northern Echo: Redcar MP Anna Turley says the money offered to the Tees Valley in the devolution agreement is a drop in the ocean

Redcar MP Anna Turley has received abusive messages

Mr Blenkinsop said he had been forced to block many accounts of Twitter, including one who branded him a 'warmongering child killer' while both he and Ms Turley were called "recruiting sergeants" for IS.

Ms Turley said she had agonised over the decision but the reaction she received was "incendiary, hysterical and creating a climate not good for proper decision making."

Conservative MP for Stockton, James Wharton, also received online threats as did Thirsk and Malton MP, Kevin Hollinrake.

Mr Hollinrake said while none required police investigation, the abuse was unwarranted and over and above what MPs would normally expect on social media.

"It's things like 'you should resign, you murdering warmonger'.

"I always listen to somebody else's point of view. I don't think it's the right way to hold a debate; to really try and intimidate people is wrong; it isn't what democracy is about."

The Northern Echo: MP Kevin Hollinrake

Kevin Hollinrake MP for Thirsk and Malton says it's not what democracy is about

Darlington MP Jenny Chapman said she had received tweets protesting her decision but added: "People are dying and we need to intervene. We have been successful in protecting civilians in occupied areas of Iraq. We mustn't be prevented from doing the same in Syria."

Houghton and Sunderland MP Bridget Phillipson who voted in favour of air strikes in Syria was sent a number of abusive messages on Facebook and Twitter – some involving her baby boy, who is just days old.

One branded her a “baby killer” while another read: “Bit of luck you didn’t give birth to your lovely boy in Raqqa then, eh?”

In a statement posted on her Facebook page, Ms Phillipson said: “I understand the strongly held views people hold, but I hope that we can treat one another with respect.

“This was a free vote on an issue that is complex and difficult and I respect the views of colleagues in Parliament who arrived at a different conclusion.”

She added: “I acted in accordance with my conscience and what I believed the best interests of our country. My firmly held view is that we have a moral and practical duty to act.

“As a nation, we have a proud history of standing against fascism. The fascists of Daesh who enslave, brutalise and murder innocent people, including religious minorities, women and children and gay people must be defeated.

“I share the concerns about the risk of civilian casualties. However, unlike Daesh no one who voted for military action seeks to harm innocent civilians: we seek to protect them from rape, torture and death.”

North Durham MP Kevan Jones, who was also targeted for abuse, said: “What makes me really angry is that people don’t appreciate how difficult these decisions are for individual members of parliament.

“Irrespective of how each MP voted, either for or against, both decisions have consequences, and these people who being abusive fail to understand how difficult it is.”